SALEM, Ore. - Samantha Potter scored a collegiate best 24 points but it wasn't enough to prevent the host Willamette Bearcats from beating Pacific Lutheran, 73-69, in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game played Saturday night in Cone Field House.

Potter, a frosh post, was 10-for-15 from the field and 4-for-5 from the foul line to lead all scorers, and she added a game-high eight rebounds. Despite all that, the Lutes lost their fifth straight game and their 11th in their last 12 games and are now 4-12 overall. At the halfway point of the conference season, PLU is in seventh place with a 2-6 NWC mark.

The win was only the second of the season for the Bearcats, now 2-13, and it was their first victory in eight conference contests.

After leading by six points at half, 42-36, Willamette opened up the second half with a 13-3 run to take a 55-39 lead on Dora Rabih's layup with 15:46 remaining in the game. The Lutes started to whittle away at its deficit, eventually getting to within two points at 71-69 on Potter's layup with 1:15 on the clock.

Rabih missed a jumper with 50 seconds to play, but Maya McFaddin grabbed the offensive rebound and Willamette retained possession. After a timeout, MacKenzie Lamson hit a layup with 19 seconds left to make it 73-69, and the Lutes turned the ball over on two separate possessions in the closing seconds.

Pacific Lutheran opened the game by scoring seven straight points, five by Shelly Kilcup, but Willamette eventually took the lead for good on Kaileigh Westermann's basket that made the score 13-12 about 6 1/2 minutes into the contest.

Kilcup hit 4-for-9 from three-point range to score 16 points for the Lutes, who also got 10 points from Mandy Wall.

Alex Zennan was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc to lead Willamette with 20 points, while Erin Barclay added 14 points in the win.

- PLU -